179: Chapter 179 Concealing Qi Technique, Nineteen Years Old
Dong Wei and the other bystander's lips parted slightly.
Just now, the two of them had been happy to see exactly what Yi Huan, a member of the Yi Family's branch line, was made of, but they never expected him to be KO'd by a single punch!
"Is that... Major Achievement in fist techniques and Major Achievement in Footwork?"
Even Senior Brother Li's companion of seven months, Huo Zonglin, had never imagined that Li Qing possessed such strength.
A fist technique at Major Achievement was fine, but having an additional Footwork technique at Major Achievement was extremely rare.
This indicated that Li Qing's Comprehension Ability was even higher than he had predicted.
In an instant, Li Qing's status in his mind rose several levels higher.
This person has no small amount of potential!
Huo Zonglin's expression changed; Yi Huan had taken such a blow that if something went wrong, it would be troublesome.
On the other hand, Dong Wei, standing nearby, looked indifferent. His Family was one of the many in-law families of the Fire-element Chu Family. As a direct descendant of the Dong Family, he wasn't afraid—after all, he hadn't made a move.
Although the Wood-element Yi Family and the Fire-element Chu Family were the two pillars of the Family Faction within the Sect, while they were allied, they also competed from time to time.
Maintaining a surface-level competition at the top also prevented the veterans of the old Master-Disciple Faction from becoming too high-strung.
At this moment, Yi Huan lay on the ground, his chest heaving up and down, seemingly extremely furious.
Huo Zonglin hurried forward to check on Yi Huan's condition. Just as he was about to offer some comfort, he saw Yi Huan touching his swollen left cheek, his eyes dull, as he whispered, "This person... is so strong..."
In fact, although Yi Huan was arrogant, he actually had the confidence to back it up.
His bone structure and Comprehension Ability were actually considered very good among the branch disciples of the Yi Family.
Possessing a Six-Dragon bone structure and being only nineteen years old, his martial arts Realm had already reached Major Achievement in Huajin.
His Comprehension Ability was also good; his palm technique was only a sliver away from reaching the Major Achievement Realm, so he had simply joined the Azure Dragon lineage ahead of time.
He only needed to spend another year or so to basically surpass those veteran Named Disciples.
Therefore, because of his bone structure and Comprehension Ability, the treatment he received in the Yi Family since childhood far exceeded that of other branch disciples. He was used to being sought after and thought it would be the same in the Sect.
As a result, on his very first day, he encountered a resounding slap in the face.
Ignoring the two people beside him, his speech was slurred due to his swollen face: "Li Qing, I'll remember you. In the future, I'll pay you back!"
After speaking, he fled into his room.
Bang!
Only the two people in the courtyard were left looking at each other.
Dong Wei cupped his fists and said, "Senior Brother Huo, it's getting late. I, your Junior Brother, will also head back to rest."
The two of them each returned to their rooms to rest.
...
Inside the cultivation room, candlelight flickered as Li Qing sat cross-legged in the center.
His expression was calm. Since he wanted to help Jia Long win the upcoming duel, he would likely have to reveal a certain amount of strength anyway, so showing Major Achievement in Footwork didn't matter.
The so-called 'hide three and reveal seven' meant that, in reality, the strength Li Qing exposed wasn't even ten percent. If he deliberately acted weak, it would actually be inferior.
He took out the Qi Concealment Art, read through it carefully once more, and then began to Cultivate this secret technique.
This was a secret technique of the True Qi Realm, totaling three layers. Its primary effect was to mask one's aura, and its effectiveness was far more powerful than the Tortoise Breathing Art, though its cultivation difficulty was also much higher.
Furthermore, after Breaking through to the Core Formation Realm, one could use True Qi to change their appearance. It was a secret technique that covered both depth and breadth, and Li Qing was very satisfied with it.
Li Qing meditated on the spot, his internal force surging and his blood energy rising and falling with his heartbeat—sometimes like a towering tidal wave, sometimes like a calm water surface—which Li Qing found quite uncomfortable.
'As expected of a True Qi level secret technique. If an ordinary Huajin practitioner tried to Cultivate this, they probably wouldn't succeed and might even suffer internal injuries.'
But for Li Qing to Cultivate it, there was no problem at all.
Not to mention the Proficiency Panel backing him up, his body had already undergone its fourth Body Tempering, making it like cast steel; a little blood energy turbulence was no problem at all.
Soon, a 'ding' sounded in his ear.
[Qi Concealment Art +1]
Li Qing did not stop and continued to Cultivate.
[Qi Concealment Art +1]
...
[Qi Concealment Art +1]
After hearing the sound five times in a row, Li Qing finally felt he had reached his limit and stopped.
He opened his eyes, which flashed with a sharp light like a thunderclap in a dark room, illuminating the dim cultivation room.
The candle in front of him had burned out at some point. Li Qing stood up and cracked his neck.
He opened the door to the cultivation room, and a ray of sunlight hit his face, making him squint.
"An entire night has actually passed." Li Qing had thought only two hours had gone by.
With his current Realm, even after a night had passed, he didn't feel very tired. In fact, smelling the fresh scent of elms, he felt even more awake.
"It's a new day!"
Li Qing suddenly pondered for a moment, did the math, and said in surprise, "Unknowingly, I'm already nineteen years old."
It had been three years since he started practicing martial arts. Looking back on these three years, Li Qing felt as if he were in a dream.
From the initial Gang oppression, then joining the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall to practice, the first time he killed someone, the first time Breaking through the gateway into Entering the Force, the small competition where he made a name for himself, the River Patrol Guard, breaking through to Anjin, participating in the Martial Arts Imperial Examination, Wei Tu's flight, the Four Great Families besieging the City Lord's Mansion and their subsequent destruction, Zhuang Jin's return, Senior Sister Xu Lingji's recruitment...
In just three short years, the events and people Li Qing had experienced were already more than what others experienced in a lifetime.
And his journey was far from over.
Now that he had joined the Dragon Snake Sect, the road ahead was still very long.
Li Qing laughed at himself, "As it turns out, after all the vicissitudes I've been through, I look back and I'm only nineteen!"
At nineteen, many people at this age were still struggling at the threshold of breaking through to Mingjin, while he was already standing at the limit of Body Tempering. The next step was to step into the first stage of the True Qi Realm, Core Formation!
He looked at the newly cultivated Qi Concealment Art on his panel.
[secret technique: Qi Concealment Art First Layer (5/1000)]
"Five points a day. That means breaking through the first layer will take two hundred days—about half a year? Indeed, the difficulty is much higher."
Li Qing went into the courtyard; there was no one there.
Huo Zonglin was likely out on a mission at this time.
As for the other two, Li Qing didn't know.
Just then, the door to one of the rooms opened.
Dong Wei saw Li Qing and cupped his fists, "Senior Brother Li, good morning."
His tone carried a hint of respect; this was the awe felt toward the strong.
In this world, strength ultimately spoke for itself. Li Qing's performance yesterday had earned his respect.
Since it was still early, the two of them chatted for a bit.
Li Qing learned that Dong Wei's Family was in the medicinal herb business, and furthermore, in Red Claw City, which was controlled by the Fire-element Chu Family, his Family was a presence similar to the former Four Great Families.
Of course, because Red Claw City was much more prosperous than Shangyun City, the Chu Family he was part of had a full three Core Formation masters.
And Dong Wei's grandfather was one of them.
"If Senior Brother Li has any needs, although most of my Family's business is in Red Claw City, we also have some influence in Longshan City and can provide Senior Brother with a little assistance."
From this, it could be seen that Dong Wei held Li Qing in high regard.
Hearing this, Li Qing's eyes lit up. "I happen to have a favor to ask."